Question
Hi Sharon. I am a 21-year-old female who has suffered from painful hip disease my entire life. The only treatments (to my knowledge) are medication (I take vicodin, but it helps little) or a total hip replacement. Of course I am very young, so I am trying to aviod the latter option. Could you give my any adivce on my situation (i.e. treatments, etc) and also what to possibly expect in the future (like w/ children, for example)? The original disease was Legg Perthes Disease, which has developed into avascular neucrosis. It effects only my R hip & knee (and back). As a child, I was treated with leg braces, which surely helped the situation, if only temporarily. I like to walk a lot, but not high impact stuff. The pain is getting out of control now. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jeanette

First of all don't be depressed!  You'll be fine, one way or another.

I had my hip problem since I was 16, and my first bi-lateral replacements were at 16.  My thinking is this:  It's not cancer, G-d forbid, so I deal with it.  Life goes on.

First of all, are you taking a lot of vicodin?  That does help somewhat with the pain, but does not help all of it.  And being on vicodin has a whole host of other problems associated with it, some of which might be as consitpation, depression, and worst of all addiction.  Plus when you mask the pain with a lot of drugs you may be doing more damage.  I know, because I was addicted to morphine.  It was a under a doctor's care, but it was terrible.  I finally decided that the pain was better than the morphine and I got off of it.  

Don't do high impact stuff, it will exacerbate the disease.  Try swimming, try bicycling, and try slow walking.  Frankly, if I were you, I'd go for the replacment.  It might be that your knee even feels better after you do the hip.  I had knee pain for years and when my hip was done, the pain went away in the knee.  When you have hip problems the spine, knee, ankle and even the back can hurt because you are not walking correctly and the body suffers.

Find out about the surgery for someone your age.  Find a doctor who has done a large amount of replacements, a teaching hospial, for instance can refer you to a good orthopod.  Now the replacements have come very far from what they were and they are doing them on younger people.  If you have the surgery, you will, more likely than not have to have the surgery again to revise the original replacement.  Since the parts now pop in and out of the bone sockets, it's an easier surgery.

The main thing about the surgery is that you will have NO pain, none at all after your recovery.  No pain meds will be needed.  You will have precautions on leg positions and on certain activities, and that will be for life, but the trade off is worth it.  AFter my initial surgery, I went to college, I got married, I hold a full time job and I had 2 healthy children.  Essentially I had a normal life.

No, I can't do contact sports, I can't ice skate or roller blade, but I can walk and I am out of pain. That accounts for everything.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me at:  [email protected]

Sharon Davis